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EL PASO, Texas — A Texas appeals court on Friday ruled against a coalition of anti-gay Christian groups who sought to recall El Paso mayor John Cook and two city representatives after they voted to restore health benefits to gay and unmarried partners of city employees.
John Cook
The ruling by the Eighth Court of Appeals said that the recall group violated the law in its petition drive and ordered the municipal clerk to decertify the recall petitions, instructing that no recall election using them can be held.
The case stems from a November 2010 ballot measure to block same-sex partners of city employees from obtaining health care benefits.
Tom Brown, pastor of the Word of Life Church, organized the ballot measure, but did so without use of an attorney to advise on the verbiage.
The measure, aimed at promoting “traditional family values,” asked voters to limit benefits to “city employees and their legal spouse and dependent children.”
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Unless amended or repealed, unions and city officials feared the law could grow to affect at least 10,00 others over the next several years, promoting Cook and city Reps. Susie Byrd and Steve Ortega to vote to restore the benefits.
Brown and his church helped organize the recall effort and invited people there and to other churches to join the petition drive and sign petitions, but the Cook argued that organizers of the petition drive violated a law prohibiting corporations — including nonprofit churches — from making political contributions to recall elections, the El Paso Times reported.
Brown said he would appeal the decision to the Texas Supreme Court.
Filed under: Texas
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good.
We need alot more brave and intelligent elected officials and courts like these!
Fundamentalists Christians are so mean-spirited.
Christians are judgemental… always trying too fixed other people problems!
Stop passing judgment on people…..
I am a Christian because I love God but I am Bi-sexual. Not all Christians are Judgmental so I just wanted to clear that up.
God loves ALL people~~
It’s time for pro-equality change in El Paso.
This is insane. Why would a church demand elected officials to be recalled and replaced because the officials voted for fair and equal treatment under the law.
Wow bigotry didn’t win in elpaso
Good, they shouild have fined them for their ignorance & wasteing courts time !
I seriously see the Christian right wing starting to realize that they are the minority in this country and they don’t like it. They are starting to panic. And desperate people say and do desperate things. I believe that when all is said and done, equality will be guaranteed for all. I believe that the Constitution and the Bill of Rights will prevail and we will all be able to get on with living our lives. The haters will still be there, but they won’t be so loud because people are getting tired of hearing their hatred. But, until then, we still have to fight. Kudos to this Texas court for doing the right thing.
Agree equal rights!!!!! Im frm El Paso..I think time 4 change!
Yeah God loves all LGBT people it shouldnt matter who you fall in love with
YAY!!! Another victory for us!
http://www.godmademegay.com/ read the letter its long but it is so awesome and for some it will be enlightening